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Original poster

Name popularity a deal breaker?

58 replies

Heh1991 · 15/06/2020 01:50

I adore the name Oliver but it’s SO popular.

If you loved the name would it put you off caking your child it? If so any alternatives?

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Awwlookatmybabyspider · 15/06/2020 02:30

No popularity wouldn't bother me at all.

ElizabethMainwaring · 15/06/2020 02:59

It definitely would influence my choice.

wanderlove · 15/06/2020 03:00

If you love it use it. It's not that popular. There is only 1 Oliver in my children's school. Even if it is the most popular name it doesn't mean every child will be called it. Also I feel
Like if you chose a more popular name you are prepared to meet a few of them. People get upset when they chose an unusual name and there is another in the class

Aclh13 · 15/06/2020 03:01

My number one names were Oliver, Liam and daisy
My cousins 4 year old son is oliver
My aunties daughter is daisy
And my partners brother is Liam so all ruled out but it never bothered me that they were popular
If you feel a connection with a name and its not too close too home then use it x

MamaLion1319 · 15/06/2020 03:03

For me personally yes but if you love it then you love it!

MamaLion1319 · 15/06/2020 03:04

Btw where I live, Oliver is not popular at all. DS knows 2 both of which are around his age 6-7

MamaLion1319 · 15/06/2020 03:06

@wanderlove you're right! DS is Isaac, never knew another but hear it constantly since having him, including one in his old school and 2 in his year group now. DD is Eden and once again I'm constantly hearing it since having her!

Pinkypink · 15/06/2020 07:45

If you love it, use it.
Popular nationally does not nec mean he will have another Oliver in their class or amoung his friends.
And it's a classic name so it won't date.

Grufallosfriends · 15/06/2020 08:03

I would avoid a very popular name, yes.

There are so many lovely names to choose from!

Grufallosfriends · 15/06/2020 08:07

And it's a classic name so it won't date.

Any very popular name tends to fall out of fashion and 'date'. Steve, Mike, Jason etc all sound dated imo.

MrMenGoSwimming · 15/06/2020 08:15

I stayed clear of top 20 names as I have a very popular name for my age group (so much that I have a SIL with the same name) and that is a bit annoying. But I didn't go all out super unusual either. That said, DS1's name was number 60 ish when he was born, now it's top 10 - he's 8 and loves meeting babies/toddlers with his name.

ZoyaTheDestroyer · 15/06/2020 08:22

For me personally, yes, but then I am a teacher and am probably more aware of name popularity than most. I have taught a LOT of Jacks. It is more of a consideration for boys because the top ten boys' names tend to be more prevalent in terms of raw numbers than the corresponding girls' names.

elfran · 15/06/2020 08:28

For me, yes - I try to avoid the top 100! But it's more important to pick a name you love, and keep in mind that something you might choose when it is rare may peak in popularity later on, so you need to be ok with that as well.

Willowa · 15/06/2020 08:28

Not at all, my daughter has a top 10 name and yet to meet another. If you love a name I would use it regardless x

GoingBackTo505 · 15/06/2020 08:30

Yes, I wouldn't use a very popular name. I try to avoid the top 100 too! Doesn't mean there aren't some lovely popular names though, Oliver is really nice.

NameChange84 · 15/06/2020 08:33

Haven’t come across a little Oliver in years. Go for it!

(As an aside “Steve” and “Mike” aren’t names, they are nicknames and Stephen and Michael are still lovely, classic, not dated names Gruffalo)

rooarsome · 15/06/2020 08:39

My daughter has what is deemed a "popular" name, but there's only one other girl called that in her school!

WhatwouldJudydo · 15/06/2020 08:45

My son is an Oliver and it was number 1 when he was born. I still love his name, he had another Oliver at nursery with him but there are none in his year at school.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 15/06/2020 08:46

Look at darkgreener, which tracks baby name trends
names.darkgreener.com/#oliver

Oliver was given as a name to 0.8% of babies in 2018. 8 babies in 1000. The name is on a downward trend. So statistically, he's going to be the only one with his name in his class. Probably his year at primary school is it's 2 or 3 class entry. Likely another in his year at Secondary.

VinoOlive · 15/06/2020 08:49

Wouldn't bother me, DS is 4 and has a top 10 name, or it was when he was born and we never meet another.

I also don't know any Oliver's.

Orphlids · 15/06/2020 09:05

We have decided against using our first choice of name for upcoming baby, as it has suddenly become very popular. I still love the name, and I wish the popularity didn’t bother me, but for me, it would stop me enjoying the name quite as much, if you see what I mean. If I felt I would still get the same pleasure from the name, despite its popularity, then I’d still use it.

Letthemysterybe · 15/06/2020 09:08

I only know 2 child Oliver’s , and they live 200 miles apart!

The ‘repeat names’ in my children’s classes aren’t names that appear in the top 10.

ILoveStickers · 15/06/2020 09:16

Wouldn't bother me, we have a very rare surname, so any child of mine is already the only person with their name.

Anyway, I only know adult Olivers - I've been on mat leave for a year and I've not met any babies or toddlers with that name.

stairgates · 15/06/2020 09:40

Wouldnt bother me either. If its the right name its the right name :)

toastofthetown · 15/06/2020 09:58

Popularity is a factor for me. I had a popular name at school (though I have never worked with anybody with my name) and I would try to give my child a more unusual name. But what is too popular is different for everybody - some people rule out top 10 names, others rule out the top 500!

However, popular names aren't what they used to be, as parents are using a much wider pool of names than ever before. A much small percentage of babies are called the top names. Local name trends also impact this - some posters will know dozens of Olivers, some might not know any. And then you might decide that you want very unusual name so choose Odysseus, and one of the other Odysseuses born that year just happens to be in your son's class!

That being said, Oliver is a lovely name. It's been popular for a very long time, and is a classic name at the moment. I would be far more wary of using a name which has shot up rapidly in popularity such as Arlo than a classic name which has been popular for the last 25 years.